Furnace nose



May 19, 1964 L. s. LoNGl-:NECKER v 3,133,512

FURNACE NOSE Filed Aug. 31, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Levi S. Longenecker H/S ATTORNEYS May 19, 1964' L. s. LoNGENEcKER 3,133,512

FURNACE NOSE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 31, 1962 Fig.5

INVENTOR. Lew S. Longenec/rer BY 5,., ,I /Wclw Fig. 4

H/` ATTORNEYS May 19, 1964 L. s. LoNGENEcKER 3,133,512

FURNACE NOSE 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug. 3l, 1962 INVENTOR. Lew S. Longenecker H/S ATTORNEYS May 19, 1964 L. s. LoNGENEcKr-:R

FURNACE NOSE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 31, 1962 INVENTOR. Levi S. Longenecker duvllkcm, im

H/.S ATTORNEYS May 19, 19.64 L. s. LoNGl-:NECKER 3,133,512

FURNACE NosE Filed Aug. 31, 1962 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Fig. [3 INVENTOR Levi S. Longenec/rer mfuzwt #MU H/S ATTORNEYS United States iPatent O 3,133,512 FURNACE NOSE Levi S. Longenecker, 61 Mayfair Drive, Pittsburgh 2S, Pa. Filed Aug. 3l, 1962, Ser. No. 220,690 16 Ciaims. (Cl. IMI-99) This invention relates to a furnace nose construction and particularly, to an improved supporting construction for refractory nose block and associated end or shoulder block used in the construction.

A phase of the invention deals with an overall improved furnace nose construction including metal supporting brackets and latching means therefor.v

In my Patent No. 2,806,452, I have shown a furnace nose construction of the general type here being considered, in which a load member carries interlatching roof and apron brackets that suspend and support refractory roof and apron wall tile or block sections, as well as pairs of cooperating refractory nose blocks or tiles and adjacent shoulder or end refractory blocks or tiles to define a furnace roof construction that is closed-off with respect to the furnace chamber by the refractory members. In such prior construction, I also show an apron bracket which carries a shoe part having a pair of singularly-disposed claw-like shoe portions for supporting the nose block adjacent backward reaches of their outer face edges for pivotal movement into and out of a closing-off relation with each other, along interleaving wing and offset portions that are situated along forwardV reaches of their opposed inner edge faces.

It will be noted that in this prior construction, when the nose blocks are in a mounted relationship with respect to each other and with respect to the adjacent, cooperating end or shoulder blocks, the connection between each intertitting nose block pair and the single tongue and groove connection between Aeach nose block and its adjacent end block, lie forwardly of such blocks. Thus, when the furnace has been in use and the refractory nose and cooperating end blocks begin to Slough-away along their' exposed forward faces under the intense furnace heat, decreasing the refractory thicknesses from their forward faces, the forward latching portions between the blocks tend to become ineffective.

It will also be noted that the latching shoulder along the backward reaches of the outer edge face of the nose block (adjacent its back end) which cooperates with an` for the shoulder of each nose block which latches with the shoe portion to break away during furnace operation, so that its support with respect to the metal bracket structure is lost. Wear and tear incidental to high temperature usage, of course, is expected, but presents a problem from the standpoint of increasing the service life of a refractory block installation. In my prior construction, the Weight of each nose block is primarily carried by a single shoe portion, so that when the shoulder which engages such portion is broken away, this support is lost.

It has thus been an object of my invention to provide an improved furnace nose construction which will greatly increase the service life of refractories;

Another object of my invention has been to provide an improved support construction for refractory nose blocks or tiles in a furnace;

Another object has been to provide a construction in' which individual nose blocks of a nose block pair are supported or suspended from metal structure that latchengages their opposed edge faces to hold them in a balanced and more secure relation;

Another object has been to devise an improved type of nose block which will have an increased efficiency in utilization and service life;

3,i33,5l2 Patented May 19, 1964 ACC A further object has been to provide a furnace nose construction having an improved service life and more efficient cooling action;

A further `object has been to provide a fully interlatching relationship along forward reaches of abutting edge faces of refractory nose and end blocks;

A still further object has been to provide a multitiered, balanced and improved support for nose block in a furnace construction;

These and other objects of my invention will appear to those skilled in the art from the illustrated embodiment thereof and the claims,

In the drawings, FIGURE 1 is a side elevation and partiai section of a furnace structure employing my invention;

FIGURE 2 is a front end elevation, on the scale of and taken along the line II-II of FIGURE l; for ciarity of illustration, overhead spacer web members and vertical refractory blocks have been removed;

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged side fragment in elevation, illustrating the mounting of nose block of my invention;

FIGURE 4 is an end elevation of nose block on the scale of and taken along the line IV-IV of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is an end section on the scale of FIGURE 4 and taken along the line V-V of FIGURE l, showing the interleaving relation between the nose block of a nose block pair;

FIGURE 6 is an isometric view in elevation on an enlarged scale with respect to FIGURES 3 to 5, and taken from the back of and showing the construction of an apron support bracket or casting of FIGURE l and of its support shoe;

FIGURE 7 is a front isometric View of the apron bracket of and on the same scale as FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a further enlarged fragmental side section, showing details of the mounting and construction of the apron bracket and particularly, of its support shoe with respect to a cooling pipe, also as illustrated in FIG- URE l; v

FIGURE 9 is an isometric side view in elevation on the scale of FIGURES 6 and 7, illustrating the construction of a refractory end or shoulder block which cooperates with a nose block;

FIGURE l0 is a greatly reduced opposite side view in elevation of the end or shoulder block of FIGURE 9;

FIGURE l1 is an isometric view in elevation of slightly larger scale than FIGURE 9, illustrating the support bracket of FIGURE lA which' cooperates with an' suspends or supports pairs of nose blocks at their opposed inner edge faces;

FIGURE 12 is a fragmental section, on the scale of FIGURE l1, showing the support bracket of FIGURE ll in its innerlatching relationship with a nose block; and,

FIGURE 13 is a fragmental section in elevation on the scale of and taken along the line XIII-XIII of FIG- URE l2.

In carrying out my invention, I make full use of the full length of abutting edge faces of cooperating nose and end or shoulder blocks by providing them with a tiered tongue and groove intertting latching engagement that extends between the forward end of the shoe portion of the support shoe part to outer nose faces of the blocks and, in this manner, provide a maximized area of load support between the nose and end block, so that the roof construction may be used until the thickness of the blocks has been reduced essentially to the metal supporting parts thereof. In addition, I provide an intermediate support bracket that latches between cooperating nose block pairs for providing a balanced support of each nose block between its inner and outer edge faces, adjacent its backward reaches, between a shoe portion of a support shoe and the support bracket.

By employing a support bracket which projects forwardly from a connecting portion between the shoe portions of a support shoe part and which extends along or around a cooling pipe, I maximize the cooling action as to the refractory nose blocks and further increase their service life. I have been able to do this While still retaining the desirable feature of moving the nose blocks of a pair on their outer edge faces pivotally into and out of position about the shoe portions and their claw-like ends, while retaining the desirable interleaving wings and offsets on the inner edge faces of the nose block which reversibly cooperate with each other.

The metal support bracket is constructed for detachable mounting with respect to the metal shoe parts and thus, with respect to the metal apron brackets which carry them. The support bracket has a back foot portion cooperating with the metal parts in a latching relation therewith and a forward foot portion cooperating with latching portions of nose block pairs.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, I have shown a furnace nose construction in accordance with my invention in an assembled or fully mounted position with respect to supporting structural framework, roof, and apron or vertical Wall sections of a furnace. A main structural frame or load member 11 of a closed box-like shape extends transversely of the furnace to dene an overhead water header or cooling fluid chamber therein. Overhead spacer web members It? are mounted to extend longitudinally on an upper flange portion 11a of the member 11 and in a transversely-spaced relation with each other to define cooling air passageways along the spacing therebetween. The load member 11 has an outer ange portion 11b over which clamps 13 are mounted by bolt and nut assemblies 13a. The clamps 13 project upwardly from side lug portions I of a longitudinally, substantially horizontally-extending, roof-support bracket or casting 14. The clamps 13 and an associated support bracket 14 may be employed to carry each longitudinal row of refractory roof blocks C.

The bracket 14 is of the same construction as the bracket of FIGURES 6 and 7 of my Patent No. 2,806,452 and, along its lower reaches, defines a longitudinal slotted portion which receive hangers A therein of the same type contemplated by such patent. The hangers A latchengage neck portions of the refractory blocks or tiles C. Filler slabs B of insulating material are shown employed to ll the spaces between the neck portions of each row of tongue and groove connected refractory blocks C. The inner end portion of the roof bracket 14 has a pair of spaced-apart, upwardly-projecting, latching projections 16 adjacent its opposite sides to latch-engage with an apron bracket 20; such end portion also has a latching portion 17 to t over and removably latch-engage on an inner flange portion 11e of the load member 11 (see FIGURE 1).

As shown also in FIGURE 1, an apron bracket 20 is provided adjacent its upper end with a projecting latch portion 22 to latch-engage over an angle bracket 12 which projects forwardly from the forward side of the load member 11. At its lower end, the apron bracket 20 has, as shown in FIGURES 1, 6, and 7, a pair of outwardly-projecting side lugs 23 which latch-engage within the pair of latching projections 16 of the wall bracket 14 and abut against a back face 16a of each of the latching projections 16. The apron bracket 20, like the bracket 14, carries metal hangers A, refractory apron or vertical blocks or tiles C and filler slabs B. Filler blocks D and D are provided, as shown in FIGURE 1, at the upper end of the apron section.

As shown particularly in FIGURES 1, 9, and 10, an end or shoulder block 19 is provided between the blocks C of the roof and apron sections for abutment and cooperation with adjacent nose blocks 30 and 30. Each end or shoulder block 19 has, on one major side face (see FIGURE a latching, somewhat tree-shaped, face depression 19a that is adapted to receive a corresponding tongue of an adjacent abutting roof or tile block C that is adapted to t therein. The latching depression 19a, at its upper or back end, terminates in a longitudinal slot 19h which extends along the major side face of a neck, back or upper portion 19 of the block to receive a leg of an associated hanger A.

As shown particularly in FIGURE 9, the opposite major side face of the neck portion 1g' of the block 19 has a transverse latching slot 19d which is open to and connected by a longitudinal, declining, end slot 19C vto receive a leg and latch foot of a hanger A for suspending it from the apron bracket 20. The opposite major side face of the end or shoulder block 19, as shown particularly in FIGURES 1 and 9, has a planar back portion 19e to rest upon a planar supporting face of an adjacent shoe portion ZSb of a shoe part 25 of the apron bracket 2). The block 19 also has a ledge portion 19j to position a flange or claw projection 25C of the foot portion 2.5L. It will be noted that the outer reaches of such major side face of the end block 19 have a series or a tier of alternate tongue portions 19h and groove portions 19g, including an end groove portion 19g and an end tongue portion 19h', which are adapted to interfit or interlatch with corresponding portions of an outer edge face of a cooperating nose block 30 or 30', see particularly FIG- URES l and 3.

As shown particularly in FIGURES 1, 3, 4, and 5, I employ a pair of cooperating nose blocks 30 and 30 which interleave with each other and lit between shoe portions ZSb and 25b' of the shoe part 25. One nose block 3) is the same as the other cooperating nose block 39', except that its wing portion 31 and its cooperating and complementary inset or inwardly-offset portion lie along different or opposite major side faces than the block 36', in order that wing portion 31 of the block 30 will interleave or lit within the slot or inwardly-offset portion of the block 30 and wing portion 31 of the block 30' will, in like manner, interleave or fit within the inwardlyoffset portion of the block 30 in the manner shown in FIGURES 1, 3 and 5.

Thus, for simplicity of illustration, I will refer particularly to the nose block 3G in describing the details of its construction. Along backward reaches of its inner, narrow, edge face or side, the block 30 has, along the major side face, a longitudinal slot portion 30a which has a slightly curved edge and that is connected by a longitudinal slot portion Stib that has a substantially planar edge to a transverse-latching-slot portion 30C. The Slot portions 36a and 30b are adapted to pass a leg or stem portion 36 of an associated support bracket 35 (see FIGURE 11) therealong, while the transverse slot portion 30e is adapted to latch-receive a front leg portion 37 of the bracket. It will further be noted from FIG- URE 3 that the slot portions 30a and 30b permit the forward foot portion 37 to slide therealong when one of the nose blocks, such as 30, is being moved into a latching-cooperating relationship with an associated nose block 30'.

The body of the nose block, along the forward reaches of its inner edge face, has on its opposite major side face, a latching Wing portion 31 that is defined by a concaveshape or curvilinear edge portion 31a and a convex-curvilinear edge portions 31h. The opposed insert or inwardly-offset latching portion is defined by a convex-curvilinear edge 39d and a concave 30e in order that the wing portion 31 of one nose block 30 will have a cornplementary interleaving or intertting with the offset or insert portion of the other nose block 30.

The body of the nose block 30 has a front nose face 3012 and along the forward reaches of its outer edge face, has a tiered or continuous tongue and groove construction, comprising tongue portions 30g and groove portions 3911 and end groove portion 30h which are adapted to interlatch and complementarily-interl'it with similar groove and tongue portions 19g and 19k and end groove portion wg' and end tongue portion 9h of the end or shoulder block 19 (see FIGURE 3).

Back end face 3th' of the block 30 defines a latching shoulder and such shoulder cooperates with a slot 30]' in the back reaches of the outer edge face of the body to pivotally-receive the inner end of an adjacent or associated shoe claw` or iiange C (or 250'). As shown particularly in FIGURE 3, one nose block, such as may be first mounted in position and the other nose block 30 of the pair may then be pivoted about the shoe portion 25h and moved in the manner shown, to the full-line, interleaving relationship of FIGURE 1, such that the nose blocks 3@ and 30 of each pair define a forward, closedoif, nose face towards the inside of the furnace.

As shown particularly in FIGURES 6 and 7, the apron bracket Zit has a box-like main body 21 which is adapted to slidably-receive a back shoe portion of hangers A therein. To facilitate mounting and removing the hangers A from longitudinal or vertical side slot 21a, I have shown an upper cross slot 2lb. The latching lugsv 23 project from opposite narrow sides of the box-like body 21 to, as previously mentioned, latch with a pair of latch projections I6 of one end of the wall bracket 14 and hold them in an interiitting relation with each other.

Inverted, L-shaped, transversely spaced-apart wing parts 24, each have a foot portion 24a which is secured on the front face of the box-like body 21 and have a wing portion 2412 of somewhat triangular shape which is secured to and along an upper face of an upper shoe portion 25b of the shoe part 25. The wing parts 24 thus reinforce the connection between the body k2l and the shoe part 25. As shown also' in FIGURES 7 land 8, side lugs 24d project from the wing portions Zlib and cooperate with ledge or lug portions 25d of the shoe part 25 to define a pair of downwardly-offset latching-slot portions 26. The slot portions 26 are adapted to removably latch-receive end portions of back or inner feet 38 of a cooperating support bracket (see FIGURES l, 2, 8, and ll). As shown particularly in FIGURE 2, the support brackets 35 are positioned between spaced, adjacent pairs of the shoe parts 25 to project forwardly therefrom and suspend or support pairs of cooperating nose blocks 30 or 30', along backward reaches of their inner edge faces.l As shown in FIGURES l and 2, the support brackets 35 also extend somewhat diagonally forwardly with respect to the shoe parts 25h and 25h and from an intermediate or connecting portion between the shoe portions 25h and 25h of the shoe part 25.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 8, l1, 12, and 13, I provide an intermediate or central support bracket 35 for the nose blocks 3i) and 30' which has a leg or stem portion 36 connected between a transverse back foot portion 38 and a transverse front foot portion 37 which extend at right angles to each other. The foot portion 38r has a beveled, projecting, ridge edge 38a to strengthen it and the foot portion 3'7 has a similar projecting, beveled ridge edge 37a. The stern or leg portion 36 extends longitudinally-forwardly and along its inner reaches, is curved to fit about or abut with a cooling-water-circulating pipe 39 and, along its support reaches, is substantially planar. The leg portion 36 extends longitudinally along and between an interleaving pair of nose blocks 30 and 36'. In this manner, furnace heat imparted to the refractory nose blocks is efficiently conducted through the support brackets 35to the cooling pipe 39 and from the shoe part 25 and the apron bracket 20 to such cooling pipe.

As particularly indicated in FIGURES 1 and 2, the brackets 35 serve a dual purpose, in that they additionally provide a balanced, opposite metal structure support for the nose blocks with respect to the somewhat claw-like shoe portions 25d of the shoe part 25. Employing the construction of my present invention, I have found that the service life of refractory block, and particularly of a nose block, has been increased about 100% by the employment of the support means 35 and is further enhanced 6 by the employment of tiered tongue and groove fit between the nose blocks and the end or shoulder blocks 19. That is, as the thickness of the nose blocks is gradually worn away, the opposed metal supports of such blocks, adjacent their back reaches, tend to prevent breakingaway of shoulder portions 361' and to facilitate the retentionl of the interleaving and inter-latching relationship, as provided by the wing portions 3l and 31 along the inner edge faces of cooperating nose blocks 3h and 30' and as" provided by the tiered or continuous tongue and groove interiitting relationship between outer reaches of the outer edge faces of the nose blocks and their associatedA end or shoulder blocks I9.

What I claim is:

l. In a furnace nose construction, refractory nose blocks for cooperative mounting as a nose block pair, a support shoe having a pair of opposed angularly-disposed shoe portions engageably-supporting the nose block pair along their outer edge faces and therebetween for movement into and out of a closing-off relation along forward reaches of their inner edge faces, a support bracket having a transverse back foot portion to latch-engage and extend from the support shoe between its shoe portions and forwardly therebetween to backward reaches of the inner edge faces of the nose block pair, the nose block pair defining a latching slot portion open to backward reaches of their inner edge faces, and said support bracket having a front foot portion cooperating with said latching slot portion to engageably support the nose block pair at their inner edge faces.

2. In a furnace nose construction, refractory nose blocks for cooperative mounting as a nose block pair, a support shoe having a pair of opposed angularly-disposed shoe portions engageably-supporting the nose block pair along their outer edge faces and therebetween for movement into and out of a closing-off relation along their inner edge faces, a support bracket carried at its back end portion by the support shoe between the shoe portions thereof and extending forwardly therebetween along backward reaches of the inner edge faces of the nose block pair, the nose block pair having cooperating latching slot portions openl yto backward reaches of their inner edge faces, and said support bracket having a leg and a front foot portion cooperating with said latching slot portions to engageably support the nose block of the nose block pair along the backward reaches of their inner edge faces.

3. A furnace nose construction as defined in claim 2 wherein said support bracket has a back foot portion for latching engagement with an intermediate portion of the support shoe between its pair of opposed shoe portions.

4. A furnace nose construction as dened in claim 3 wherein said back foot portion of said support bracket has a right-angular positioning with respect to said front foot portion thereof.

5. A furnace nose construction as defined in claim 4 wherein said leg portion of said support bracket has a curved shape forwardly of said back foot portion and a substantially straight shape between its curved shape and its said front foot portion.

6. In a furnace nose construction employing a pair of spaced-apart support shoes, employing refractory nose blocksV for cooperative mounting as nose block pairs within a pair of opposed angularly-disposed claw-like shoe portions of each support shoe wherein the shoe portions engageably-support each nose block pair along backward reaches of their outer edge faces and for pivotal movement into and out of a closing-off relation along forward reaches of opposed inner edge faces of the nose block pair, and in which the nose block of each nose block pair employ interleaving wing and offset portions along forward reaches of their opposed inner edge faces to hold them in a closing-0H latching relation with respect to each other,v a support bracket extending substantially diagonally-forwardly of the spacing between the shoe portions of the support shoes andV within the spacing between the support shoes and having a back foot portion detachablyengaging between the support shoes, a longitudinal slot portion along the backward reaches of the inner edge face of each nose block of each nose block pair open to and terminating in a transverse latching slot portion adjacent forward reaches of such inner edge face, and said support bracket having a leg portion to extend forwardly along said longitudinal slot portions of the nose block pairs and having a foot portion to detachably latchengage within said transverse slot portions of the nose block pairs.

7. In a furnace nose construction, refractory nose blocks for cooperative mounting as a nose block pair, a support shoe having a pair of opposed angularly-disposed shoe portions engageably-supporting the nose block pair along backward reaches of their outer edge faces for movement into and out of a closing-off relation with each other along forward reaches of their inner edge faces, a cooling pipe extending transversely along a connecting portion of the support shoe between its shoe portions backwardly of the nose block pair, a support bracket having a back end portion carried by the support shoe, said support bracket having a leg portion extending forwardly about the cooling pipe and along backward reaches of opposed inner edge faces of the nose block pair and terminating in a foot portion, the nose block of the nose block pair delining a longitudinal slot portion open at backward reaches of their opposed inner edge faces to receive said leg portion of said support bracket and defining a transverse slot portion at a forward end of said longitudinal slot portion to receive and latch-engage with said foot portion of said support bracket for supporting the nose block pair in a closed-off relationship along forward reaches of the opposed inner edge faces.

8. A furnace nose construction as defined in claim 7 wherein a back part of said leg portion of said support bracket is of curved-shape to rest in an abutting heattransfer relation on the cooling pipe.

9. A furnace nose construction as defined in claim 8 wherein said support bracket has a cross-extending back foot portion for detachable-engagement with the support shoe.

10. In a furnace nose construction, a pair of refractory nose blocks for cooperative mounting as a pair, a support shoe having a pair of opposed angularly-disposed claw-like shoe portions engageably-supporting the nose block of the nose block pair along backward reaches of their opposed inner edge faces for pivotal movement into and out of a closed-off relation with each other along forward reaches of their inner faces, a pair of refractory end blocks, each having backward reaches of an adjacent edge thereof in engagement with forward reaches of the outer edge face of an associated nose block, a group of complementary interfitting tongue and groove portions along forward reaches of the outer edge face of each nose block and the adjacent engaging edge face of an associated end block to hold the nose and end blocks in a latched relationship with respect to each other, and means cooperating with the nose block pair between their' opposed inner edge faces for latching them in position with respect to each other and holding forward reaches of their opposed inner edge faces in a closed-off relationship with respect to each other.

ll. A furnace nose construction as defined in claim 10 wherein said means has a back portion removably latch-engaging the support shoe and has a forward portion removably latch-engaging the nose block pair.

12. In a furnace nose construction employing a load member, employing roof and wall sections carried by the load member, employing a pair of cooperating nose block and end blocks associated therewith and interposed between the nose block and the roof and wall sections, ernploying an apron bracket having a portion to latch on the load member and suspend it therefrom, employing a support shoe on the apron bracket wherein the support shoe has a pair of opposed angularly-disposed shoe portions supporting backward reaches of adjacent edge faces of the end blocks and engageably-supporting the nose block pair along backward reaches of their outer edge faces for pivotal movement into and out of a closing-off relation along forward reaches of their inner edge faces, and employing a cooling pipe positioned transversely forwardly between the shoe portions of the support shoe; a detachable support bracket, the apron bracket and the support shoe defining at least one offset latching portion adjacent an intermediate connecting portion of the support shoe, said detachable support bracket having a back foot portion adapted to detachably-engage said offset-latching portion, said support bracket having a leg portion to extend about the cooling pipe, said leg portion also extending forwardly along backward reaches of opposed inner edge portions of the nose block pair and terminating in a front foot portion, cooperating longitudinal slot portions extending along backward reaches of the opposed inner edge faces of the nose block pair for receiving the leg portion of said support bracket, and said longitudinal slot portions terminating in complementary crosslatching slot portions to latch-receive said front foot p0rtion of said support bracket therein.

13. A furnace nose construction as defined in claim l2 wherein forward reaches of outer edge faces of the nose block pair and adjacent edge faces of the end block have cooperating tongue and groove portion tiers therealong from outer ends of the shoe portions of the support shoe to front nose edge faces of the nose block pair.

14. A furnace nose construction as defined in claim 13 wherein forward reaches of the opposed inner edge faces of the nose block pair have interleaving wing and offset portions for cooperative engagement with each other to close-off their front nose edge faces with respect to each other.

l5. An improved unitary refractory nose block for pivot-in mounting with a complementary unitary nose block of similar construction in a furnace which comprises, a nose block body having a rounded front nose edge face defined by a pair of relatively planar opposed major side faces and by a pair of opposed inner and outer edge faces, the inner edge face of said body along its backward reaches having a slot portion extending longitudinally from a back end of the body forwardly along backward reaches of the inner edge face thereof and terminating in a connected transverse latching-slot portion extending along and open to one of the major side faces of said body, a latching shoulder and pivot-offset portion on backward reaches of the outer edge face of said body, and a group of latching tongue and groove portions along forward reaches of the outer edge face of said body and extending between the pivot-offset portion and the front nose edge face.

16. An improved refractory nose block as defined in claim l5 wherein, forward reaches of the inner edge face of said body have a latching wing portion along one major side face thereof and a cooperating complementary ofiset portion along the other major side face thereof to respectively interleave with offset and latching wing portions of another nose block of the same body construction.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,140,185 Hosbein Dec. 13, 1938 2,806,452 Longenecker Sept. 17, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 445,404 Germany June l0, 1927 464,968 Germany Sept. 3, 1928 477,131 Great Britain Dec. 22, 1937 829,201 Great Britain Mar. 2, 1960 

6. IN A FURNACE NOSE CONSTRUCTION EMPLOYING A PAIR OF SPACED-APART SUPPORT SHOES, EMPLOYING REFRACTORY NOSE BLOCKS FOR COOPERATIVE MOUNTING AS NOSE BLOCK PAIRS WITHIN A PAIR OF OPPOSED ANGULARLY-DISPOSED CLAW-LIKE SHOE PORTIONS OF EACH SUPPORT SHOE WHEREIN THE SHOE PORTIONS ENGAGEABLY-SUPPORT EACH NOSE BLOCK PAIR ALONG BACKWARD REACHES OF THEIR OUTER EDGE FACES AND FOR PIVOTAL MOVEMENT INTO AND OUT OF A CLOSING-OFF RELATION ALONG FORWARD REACHES OF OPPOSED INNER EDGE FACES OF THE NOSE BLOCK PAIR, AND IN WHICH THE NOSE BLOCK OF EACH NOSE BLOCK PAIR EMPLOY INTERLEAVING WING AND OFFSET PORTIONS ALONG FORWARD REACHES OF THEIR OPPOSED INNER EDGE FACES TO HOLD THEM IN A CLOSING-OFF LATCHING RELATION WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, A SUPPORT BRACKET EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY DIAGONALLY-FORWARDLY OF THE SPACING BETWEEN THE SHOE PORTIONS OF THE SUPPORT SHOES AND WITHIN THE SPACING BETWEEN THE SUPPORT SHOES AND HAVING A BACK FOOT PORTION DETACHABLYENGAGING BETWEEN THE SUPPORT SHOES, A LONGITUDINAL SLOT 